It has since been home to the families of Vice Presidents Bush, Quayle, Gore, Cheney, Biden, and Pence. Walter Mondale was the first Vice President to move into the home. Vice President Gerald Ford acceded to the Presidency before he could use the home, and his Vice President, Nelson Rockefeller, only used it for entertaining. Three years passed before any Vice President actually lived at Number One Observatory Circle. Finally, in 1974, Congress agreed to refurbish the house at the Naval Observatory as a home for the Vice President. Historically, Vice Presidents and their families lived in their own homes, but the cost of securing these private residences grew substantially over the years. Originally intended for the superintendent of the USNO, the house was so lovely that in 1923, the chief of naval operations kicked out the superintendent so he could move in himself. The white nineteenth-century house at Number One Observatory Circle in northwestern Washington, D.C. With their offices located on the White House grounds, Vice Presidents since Walter Mondale have lived with their families on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory. The Vice President’s Residence & Office.Get Involved Show submenu for “Get Involved””.The White House Show submenu for “The White House””.Office of the United States Trade Representative.Office of Science and Technology Policy.Executive Offices Show submenu for “Executive Offices””.Administration Show submenu for “Administration””.Perhaps most essential to the study of the history of science is the scientific periodicals collection, originating from across the globe and dating from the early 17th century to today. The 800-volume rare book collection, dating from 1482 to 1799, consists of the foundational texts in the history of astronomy, and our larger 19th-century scientific monograph collection is ripe for study. Hundreds of manuscript observation notebooks, detailing the nightly observations of astronomers since the mid-19th century, are available for research, as are the notebooks from the several 19th-century Transit of Venus expeditions organized by the Naval Observatory to such far-flung locations as Vladivostok and Santa Cruz.
Scientific instruments, however, are only a small part of the collection. Researchers will be able to see the historic scientific instruments they study still in use, like the 26-inch refractor telescope which was used by USNO staff astronomer Asaph Hall for the discovery of the Moons of Mars in 1877. The USNO Library’s unique environment makes it an exceptional place for the study of the history of science. These resources can and should facilitate investigations into the dramatic changes in the fields of astronomy and physics, particularly in the 19th and 20th century.
As one of the most complete astronomical collections in the country, the USNO Library has important resources for the investigation into the history of science and technology. Since its founding in 1841, the US Naval Observatory has amassed culturally and scientifically significant materials relevant to the study of the intellectual, social and cultural history of the United States and beyond.